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Supercars Bathurst 1000: Payne fastest in dramatic qualifying

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Matt Payne took provisional pole position for the Bathurst 1000 after a qualifying session of fine margins at Mount Panorama.

Payne and his Grove Racing Ford streaked around the 6.213km circuit in a time of 2m05.6452s to edge out fellow Mustang pilot Cameron Waters by a scant 0.0060s.

“It just seemed to hook up really nicely and it just seemed to turn really well at ‘The Grate’,” he explained after the lap.

“The previous practice we did not have such a good run on green tyres. I knew the car was better than that. I knew we were going to be in the top five, but P1 is pretty cool.”

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Payne fastest in dramatic Bathurst 1000 qualifying

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Waters, who nearly had a crash at Forrest’s Elbow during the session, revealed he had also suffered a reliability scare in the early stages.

“It was a pretty intense session, I had an engine problem to start with and that cleared,” he said.

“Everyone is trying so hard, even in practice one, it was crazy how fast everyone was going. I am just lucky I am not one of the ones crashing.”

The session featured a pair of red flags, with the first coming with 23 minutes remaining on the clock as David Reynolds lost control of the rear of his Team18 Chevrolet Camaro at The Dipper, collecting the wall where team-mate Warren Luff had performed a miraculous escape earlier in the weekend.

David Reynolds, Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
© Autosport.com

 

David Reynolds, Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Photo by: Edge Photographics

The second came due to a crash at the same corner after Shell V-Power Racing driver Will Davison destroyed all four corners of his Ford Mustang on his final push.

This crash ruined Broc Feeney’s attempt to top the session, although he remained the highest-placed Chevrolet driver in third. Prior to the red flags being displayed, he had been 0.25s up on Payne’s benchmark.

The Triple Eight man was 0.0081s faster than 2023 polesitter Brodie Kostecki, who set the fourth fastest time and clattered the wall at Sulman Park, requiring a mid-session suspension change which cost eight minutes of track time.

Highlighting how close the session was, Kostecki’s time was 0.0194s away from Payne.

Championship leader Will Brown secured his shootout position in fifth, having spent the majority of the session out of the window, while Chaz Mostert was sixth.

Andre Heimgartner, Jack Le Broc, Anton de Pasquale and Richie Stanaway rounded out those who will contest Saturday’s shootout.

As a result of causing the red flags, both Reynolds and Davison saw their best times struck from the record, leaving them 21st and 16th respectively.

The Supercars will be back on track at 10:05am Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time [12:05am BST], with a one-hour practice session for co-drivers only. There will be another hour’s practice at 1:10pm [3:10am BST] and the top 10 shootout is due to begin at 5:05pm [7:05am BST].

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Mohamed Salah Hints At Liverpool Exit Amid Uncertain Contract Future

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Mohamed Salah Hints At Liverpool Exit Amid Uncertain Contract Future
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Mohamed Salah Hints At Liverpool Exit Amid Uncertain Contract Future

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has sparked fresh speculation over his future at the club with a cryptic social media message, hinting at a possible departure.

The Egyptian star, who scored the decisive goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Brighton on Saturday, took to X (formerly Twitter) to reflect on his connection with the club and Anfield fans.

“Top of the table is where this club belongs. Nothing less. All teams win matches, but there’s only one champion in the end. That’s what we want,” Salah posted.

He added, “Thank you for your support last night. No matter what happens, I will never forget what scoring at Anfield feels like.”

With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, the 32-year-old’s future remains uncertain.

Salah, who is currently on a reported £350,000-per-week deal, will be able to negotiate with clubs outside England starting in January if no extension is agreed upon.

Despite the concerns of fans, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has downplayed the contract situation, choosing instead to focus on the strong form of Salah and his teammates, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contracts also expire this season.

As Liverpool pursues its first Premier League title since 2020, Salah’s future will remain a closely watched storyline among fans eager to see the Egyptian icon stay at Anfield.

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Ranked: 5 players in Europe who have outscored Cristiano Ronaldo in 2024

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Ranked: 5 players in Europe who have outscored Cristiano Ronaldo in 2024

 

  • Cristiano Ronaldo has been in fine goalscoring form since joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr in 2023
  • Ronaldo is waiting for his first official trophy with the club, with rivals Al-Hilal dominating since his arrival
  • Despite his goalscoring exploits, five strikers playing in European leagues have outscored him in 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best goalscorers that football has ever seen, lighting up every club he has played for with goals from Madeira to Manchester to Madrid and beyond.

In the final years of his career, he is the pacesetter in the lucrative Saudi Pro League and has not stopped scoring, even though he has yet to taste a major trophy with Al-Nassr.

According to Planet Football, only five players in the European leagues have outscored his 29 goals in 2024 this season, proving how great of a finisher he still is at 39.

TUKO.co.ke looks at the five players who have netted more than 29 goals in European leagues in 2024.

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European players who have outscored Ronaldo

1. Viktor Gyokeres

Gyokeres has been the hottest striker in Europe since last season, and it’s no surprise that he has netted 43 goals in the calendar year, including five in the last two games. According to Sky Germany, he is a target for top European clubs, and his move will come soon, with manager Ruben Amorim leaving for Manchester United.

2. Harry Kane

Kane would be at the top of this list with 37 goals if only the top five European leagues were considered. He continues to be a free-scoring striker at Bayern Munich and could finally get his hands on a trophy this season with the Bavarians racing to an early lead on the German Bundesliga table.

3. Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski had a mixed season for Barcelona in 2023/24 but picked up his goalscoring boots in the second half of the season. He has been on fire under new boss Hansi Flick, whom he played under at Bayern. He has 34 goals this year, half of which have come this season.

4. Erling Haaland

Haaland has been one of Europe’s best goalscorers in Europe since he broke onto the scene at RB Salzburg and has remained consistent. He has 33 goals in 2024, 19 of which came last season to wrap up his second consecutive Premier League Golden Boot. He has 14 already this season.

5. Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe played the first half of 2024 as a Paris Saint-Germain player, scoring 23 goals despite issues with the club surrounding his intention to leave the club as a free agent. He has netted eight times for Real Madrid, including six in the Spanish La Liga.

Osimhen rated above Haaland

Ekwutosblog reported that Victor Osimhen was rated above Haaland on the list of the most marketable athletes in 2024 based on three criteria from a US website.

The Nigerian masked man narrowly edged the Norwegian goal machine as one of the footballers in the top 50, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Heartland FC of Owerri beat Abia Warriors 2:0 away from home in oriental derby.

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Heartland FC of Owerri beat Abia Warriors 2:0 away from home in oriental derby.

Heartland FC of Owerri has just secured a thrilling 2-0 win over Abia Warriors in the Oriental Derby. This victory is a huge boost for the team, and  fans are over the moon!

Ekwutosblog gathered that according  to the latest match statistics, Heartland FC’s coach, Christian Obi, has finally broken the winless streak, securing his first victory in 17 attempts. This win is a testament to the team’s hard work and determination. As Obi said, “The jinx has been broken. I am excited and I want to use this opportunity to all those that have contributed your support. We are climbing the ladder and climbing the ladder has a process. It is one after the other.”

In terms of the match itself, Heartland FC dominated the game, with Abia Warriors struggling to find their footing. The statistics show that Heartland FC had a total of 9 goals in the last 6 matches, with an average of 1.5 goals per game. On the other hand, Abia Warriors had only 4 goals in the same period, with an average of 0.67 goals per game.

As for the head-to-head match statistics, Heartland FC has won 9 matches out of 16 against Abia Warriors, with 4 draws and 3 losses. The most recent match between the two teams ended in a 2-0 win for Heartland FC, with a total of 2 goals scored by Heartland FC and 0 goals scored by Abia Warriors.

 

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